EVO 13.5 Startup Questions and Observations

[chuckfu5]

Here's the evo I set up for my mom. No heater, no skimmer, just live rock and thin layer of sand. Weekly 3 gallon water changes and a marine orbit led light. I do not believe a skimmer is a must. Tank has been up since april, no algae problems whatsoever.

I had a hard time changing that much water every week. I skim very dry so I don't fill a cup except once a week or so.

I think it all depends on your bioload and your housekeeping. I agree....changing 3 gallons a week probably wouldn't need a skimmer.

 

[Lundiboy8]

Skimmer definitely is not a must. I do 50% water changes every 1.5 to 2 weeks. Also had no issues running my stock pump with a 100w heater in the 3rd chamber.

 

[Plauri55]

I like that macroalgae reactor. Is it the one from Marine Depot? Is it working well as a nutrient export?

 

[Lundiboy8]

Yes that one is the one from Marine Depot. It works great. Maybe too great because after a month, the chaeto growth slowed drastically. My nitrates and phosphates are undetectable still but I dont think the chaeto has anything to feed on now. I am trying new things but this setup does work great. See the video I made

 

[Plauri55]

Thanks for the info. An observation and a couple of questions if you don't mind.
Your tank doesn't look very old and your bioload seems to be light. Though we have many of the same critters. I saw 3 fish in your tank, I have 5. Same shrimp, urchin and similar corals. But I admit to being an over-feeder, thus my constant battle with nitrates and hair algae.
Questions:
Are you running it thru your first chamber? No skimmer?
Do you think the pump is powerful enough to put the reactor below the tank, maybe 12 to 18 inches?
Thanks again!

 

[Plauri55]

 

[Lundiboy8]

Thanks for the info. An observation and a couple of questions if you don't mind.
Your tank doesn't look very old and your bioload seems to be light. Though we have many of the same critters. I saw 3 fish in your tank, I have 5. Same shrimp, urchin and similar corals. But I admit to being an over-feeder, thus my constant battle with nitrates and hair algae.
Questions:
Are you running it thru your first chamber? No skimmer?
Do you think the pump is powerful enough to put the reactor below the tank, maybe 12 to 18 inches?
Thanks again!

My tank has been up and running for 7 months. I do only have 3 fish as well as 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 2 Emerald Crabs, 3 hermits, 4 trochous snails, and a few snails that dig in the sand bed. I feed 1/2 cube of brine shrimp a day as well as some pellets but I take my non fish into consideration. Maybe it's overfeeding but my water tests come back perfect every time. I do weekly 50% water changes. I haven't had any nuisance algae since the 1st month.

My 1st chamber is an intake media basket with filter floss, chemi pure elite, and some Bio Home Media. 2nd chamber is the pump for the reactor. 3rd chamber is the output to the reactor, pump for the main display, heater and top off unit. I think you will be fine at that length. From my understanding, the reactor just needs some flow and not a lot of it for chaeto. The kit I got included the Cobalt MJ1200.

 

[Plauri55]

Thanks again. I'm going to give it a try.
My nitrates are always running high and I'm having problem with several Tufts of hair algae. Hopefully this will help me out.

 

[Lundiboy8]

Thanks again. I'm going to give it a try.
My nitrates are always running high and I'm having problem with several Tufts of hair algae. Hopefully this will help me out.

No problem and good luck.

 

[dmankin]

After 18 days of cycling, my LFS confirmed my good parameters... and the tank now has life!

Media change, water change and a lot of staring at this thing coming up!

 

[DSC reef]

Looks great!

 

[Ksull72487]

This is normal. Most these AIOs are tight like this. It shouldn’t cause any issues. Doubt you’ll have an issue. You could always go with a smaller heater or less wattage. A 13.5 Gallon is probably an 8-10 gallon tank after adding everything. So a smaller heater might do the job depending on the ambient temperature. Plus the pump itself and a circulation pump as well as lighting will add heat. A 50 watt is probably good for shorter run times and less energy usage although.

Actually, I did reach out to Fluval when I could not fit the pump as shown in the literature that came with the tank kit. I called their help line, and the woman said it is a known issue, and they receive lots of calls about this. She asked for my email address so she could send me photos of how that chamber should come together. Below are the images she sent me:

 

[Cdime712]